The following examples of emergent systems in nature illustrate the kinds of feedback between individual elements of natural systems that give rise to surprising ordered behavior. They also illustrate a clear trade off between the number of elements involved in the emergent system and the complexity of their individual interactions. The more complex the interactions between elements, the fewer elements are needed for a higher-level phenomenon to emerge.

Hurricanes and sand dunes form from vast numbers of very simple elements whereas even small groups of birds can exhibit flocking behavior. What is the lesson for multicellular computing? It behooves us to better understand emergence in complex dynamic systems.
Emergence Emerges. How to self-organize without requiring a blowhard.

Emergence is a phenomenon, or more properly one of several phenomena, that is still debated. It is something that results from a collection of smaller units, that cannot be predicted from observation of the smaller units.
Secret Stash. Industrial Design. Room Dividers: 15 Free-Standing Walls & Folding Screens. Room Dividers: 15 Free-Standing Walls & Folding Screens Article by Steph, filed under Furniture & Decor in the Design category.

Want a really cool wall but don’t want to build one? Conventional curtains and traditional shoji screens aren’t the only ways to visually break up interior spaces. These 15 innovative and artistic room dividers – including colorful plastic panels, strange plant-like modular screens, real green and growing separators and flexible walls made of wood – also function as works of art, lighting and even furniture. Build-a-Partition (images via: Yanko Design) This modular partition system called ‘Cell’ by the Edelweiss Industrial Design studio allows you to custom-create a room divider in the shape, size and density that you need for that particular space.
Voussoir Cloud By IwamotoScott Architecture. The Voussoir Cloud by San Francisco-based architects, IwamotoScott, is a site-specific architectural installation using an age-old masonry vault paradigm with an intent to “confuse the structural and material strategies”.

A series of intricate geometric studies and structural simulations result in a system of compressed vaults created by grouping together a light-weight, wedge-shaped modular element called the Voussoir. At closer look, the Voussoir, or petal, is formed by folding paper-thin wood laminate along curved seams, and are key structural components in forming the arches. Simply a solid piece, and breathtaking, especially with the experience of light and shadow, as if you’re walking through clouds.
Diseño Industrial. Diseño Industrial. Concept SKETCH. Pattern. Augmented Reality.

ARCH 598 Summer 2011information >> n-formations FABRICS // LATTICES // FIELDSThis course is designed to introduce and explore computational design, algorithmic thinking, and digital manufacturing–both: the larger ramifications that emerging digital technologies and ideas are having architectural theory via readings, discussions, presentations; and the practical application of these ideas and tools through a series of hands-on, iterative modeling and fabrication assignments.

O P E N S Y S T E M S. No boxes!
Fritz Obermeyer’s Jenn is a nicely crafted java application that allows a playful examination of structures in non-Euclidian space, more specifically Coxeter polytopes in stereographic projection. These complex geometric structures are the 4-dimensional Sisters to the polyhedra and have, what seems like, recursive interiors and packing formations that resemble bubbles in foam. The applet allows you to fly through these structures and orient the camera view according to your whims; other controls include toggles for the kind of rendering display settings. Perhaps I shouldn’t report it, but there are also some nice rendering glitches on some of the selected models on certain views. The word ‘polytope’ was introduced by Alicia Boole Stott , the daughter of logician George Boole.

So the story goes, she had a remarkable understanding of 4- dimensional geometry (X,Y,X,Time) from an early age.
MATSYS. PROJECTiONE. Inside Smartgeometry. Inside Smartgeometry:

Codedchromics. I hadn’t heard about this before but fist (whoops, mean first) saw this earlier this month mentioned on Syuzi Pakhchyan’s blog Wearable Technology (always an inspiration!)

Sophie de Oliveira Barata offers a ‘real’ option ‘surreal’ option and an ‘unreal’ option – you’ve just got to love that! Here are some of the incredible decorated and unusual prosthetics from The Alternative Limb Project - “The Alternative Limb Project offers a personal and friendly bespoke service, which provides unique prosthetics to blend in with the body or stand out as a unique piece of art, reflecting the wearer’s imagination, personality and interests. We will involve the wearer in all stages of the process from conception of ideas to the final work. An alternative-style limb can help to break down social barriers, delight the eye and provide an unusual talking point.”
LEARNING.

As an exercises, try to convert these polygons into 3d panels … Try the “Weaverbird” components ( to smooth the results a little bit …
Tensegrity - home. Grasshopper. Parametric. [FORMul[a]RCH]
Experimenting Rhino Panelling Tools. Algorithmic design. Structural Tessellations and Morphologies. The honeycomb is probably the epitome of structural efficiency. Bees have been creating hexagonal comb structures for millenia and humans inspired by the incredible structural strength to weight ratio of their combs have joined them. It is said that the first man-made honeycomb was made by Daedalus using gold by lost wax casting more than 3000 years ago. In 1859 Charles Darwin said that “the comb of the hive-bee, as far as we can see, is absolutely perfect in economizing labour and wax”.

Little noticed is that even the the closed ends of the honeycomb cells are also an example of geometric efficiency as their trihedral shape allows two opposing honeycomb layers to nest into each other, with each facet of the closed ends being shared by opposing cells.
Grasshopper Lecture 6: Supplemental.